Page 35 of All Mine

“It is now,” she replied in her husky, pack a day voice. “Are you any good?”

“At trivia?” I asked, sliding into the seat.

She threw her head back and laughed, far too hard.

Out of the corner of my eye, Lauren had turned in my direction, witnessing the display.

“Well, aren’t you a naughty little hoot?” she said, hand rubbing my bicep.

I stole a glance in Lauren’s direction and caught her gorgeous eyes in the dim light across the room. She inhaled sharply when our eyes met, and I held hers for a moment. Then flashing a wry smile, she rolled her eyes at me and looked away.

“So you’re the real estate guy,” the lady said, hand still on my bicep.

“I’m Camden,” I said to her and everyone at the table.

The others introduced themselves in the moments before the game started. Adrian explained the rules. The first team to raise their hand and answer the question correctly earned the point. They allowed no cell phones to research answers.

Right out of the gate, my team and Lauren’s were neck and neck. They’d get one, and we’d answer the next. We left team two in the dust. They had no idea they were competing against two people who’d made it personal. Everyone else played a friendly game. In contrast, we were out for the win. Lauren jumped up to get Adrian’s attention first, and I had to do the same thing to keep her from getting ahead.

“Alright guys,” Adrian said, finally, “Sit down and raise your hands. No need to stand.”

“Sorry,” Lauren said. “Just into the game.”

Everyone at her table laughed, and Adrian even slid her a sly smile. Her friends knew what this was, even if the others hadn’t caught on yet.

“Next question is multiple choice,” Adrian continued. “What Nashville venue was Taylor Swift discovered at? Was it the Mercy Lounge, The Bluebird Café, The Basement East, or 12 and Porter?”

My hand shot up without consulting my teammates, beating out Lauren’s by seconds. I had no clue what the answer was.

“Mercy Lounge?”

“No,” Adrian shook his head.

“Damn it, stop guessing if you don’t know,” a dude on my team chastised me.

Lauren was on her feet. “The Bluebird,” she yelled.

“Correct,” Adrian said.

And Lauren did a little victory dance, grinning at me. She was super cute, and I wanted to smile but bit it back.

“That’s okay,” the overly friendly lady next to me said. “I’m sure you have other talents,” she whispered in my ear, cigarettes and red wine on her hot breath.

I resisted the urge to scoot away as far as possible. “Thanks,” I muttered.

“What is the oldest active ballpark in Major League Baseball?” Adrian’s voice came through the speakers. “Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, Dodger Stadium, or Angel Stadium?”

Both Lauren and I were on our feet.

“Look, you two. I said, raising hands only. Since you cannot follow the rules, I’m calling on team two,” Adrian said.

Damn it. I dropped back into my seat with a huff, and ignored the glares from my teammates.

“Dodger Stadium,” called the guy at the next table.

“Nope,” Adrian said.

“Wrigley,” Lauren yelled.

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